This Top 200 list gives you the easiest and most beautiful double stars of the night sky, quikly found in your telescope.
This is not, like many other lists, an extract from a database filtering the brightest double stars. It is a
summary of 200 double stars easily spotted, easily split, and mostly with different and nice colors.
All 200 doubles from this list are observed by the author, equiped with a 6 inch f8 Newtonian reflector.
The magnification used was never higher than 200x. All doubles are not below the declination of -12.

Double stars are pretty nice objects against the black sky for every observer. A pair of equally bright stars close
to each other is very attractive. And different colors make it complete! When there are 3 or even more members, it
only becomes more splendid, like the triple Struve 2816 in Cepheus. Some triples appear as a real triangle figure,
like Otto Struve 147 in Auriga. And why not to spot the doubles embedded in a rich open star cluster, like
Struve 485 in Camelopardalis? This list also contains a few doubles in the Pleiades, and in the Beehive
or Praesepe M44.

It's very obvious, photographs never bring the astonishing spectacle, like an observer can feel thru his telescope.
You only see gray disks on a photograph, while amazing colored points, not touching
each other and with different brightnesses, glitter right in the middle of your ocular. The marvelous double 61 Cygni
along the milky way, the first star with a measured parallax, as an example.

Keep in mind, the colors of a double star are very subjective. There are several reasons. When the secondary is much
fainter than the primary, the condition of the sky, the color-sensitivity of the observer, and the aperture of
the telescope. The colors of bright binaries are best seen thru binoculars. And our eyes are more yellow sensitive
since we all look to a big yellow sun.

Not so far away from the Andromeda galaxy M31. It is a well known red
dwarf binary system lying only 11 lightyears away from our Sun. It moves at 3" per year thru the sky.The double
is very wide, with a faint companion. The third star in the same field does not count.

This binary is the most lovely in Cassiopeia. In a period of 500 years, the
separation shifts from 5 till 16 arcseconds. It's a wide double with a bright golden star, and a little
red star at its side. It is the naked eye star just lying next to Alpha Cas.

A splendid double, the easternmost naked eye star of the "arc" of Andromeda,
with the name Almach.
It has a bright golden primary and not so far from it a greenish fainter secondary. The secondary itself is double,
but only 0.5 arcseconds split.

The pretty nice double lies just above 10 Tau, this is at the very SW border of the
constellation, so it rather lies closer to Alpha Cet. It has a main yellow star, with fairly close to it a little
blue one.

It's located deep under the Pleiades, W of the main figure of the Bull.
The main star is bluish, while the companion is reddish. The companion is strongly fainter, but still easily
separated by the moderately wide gap between them.

In the inconspicuous area of Camelopardalis, lies highly above Capella, the marvelous open cluster NGC 1502.
This little group of stars stands at the end of the asterism chain of Kemble's Cascade. Right in the middle of
this cluster appears a pretty white close double of nearly equally bright stars. The slightly fainter companion
is a variable star, bouncing between magnitude 7.0 and 7.3 in a period of only 2 days.

It's a very wide double with a yellow primary star and a fainter blue attendant.
It's located N of the main figure of the Bull, or E of the Pleiades. It stands just N of the other double Chi Tau.
At its east lies 15 arcminutes from it an obvious reddish star.

East of Zeta Per, the southernmost star of Perseus, lies a triplet
of 3 stars in one line. The southernmost is the other double 56 Per. The northernmost is Struve 533.
It can be glimpsed as a deep yellow star and not so far from it a little blue attendant.

East of Zeta Per, the southernmost star of Perseus, lies a triplet
of 3 stars in one line. The northernmost is the other double Struve 533. The southernmost is 56 Per.
A bright yellow star is touched by a fainter yellow secondary.

At the NW of Capella, but in the area of Camelopardalis, lies this pair. It's
only surrounded by tiny stars at its W and E. The double itself contains a white main star, and moderately away
from it a slightly fainter bluish friend.

It's located in the lower part of the pentagon, where you can find many stars.
The double appears as an easy pair of a yellow main
star and a moderately fainter blue one. Struve 698 stands also in this area.

It's located in the lower part of the pentagon, where you can find many stars.
The double 14 Aur stands also here. Struve 698 is not far from the gorgeous open clusters M36 and M38.
It's a considerably wide double of an orangish primary and a fairly fainter blue companion.

It lies in the most NE corner of Taurus, rather just below the southernmost
star of the pentagon of Auriga. It's a pretty nice fairly close pair of a white primary and a slightly fainter
yellow attendant.

Collinder 69 is the large and loose cluster around this double star Lambda Ori.
It's located at the top of the Orion figure. Together with the two Phi stars, it forms the head of the Hunter.
The double itself is the last one in a line of three stars. Two white stars, maybe yellowish, can be glimpsed fairly close.
The companion is slightly fainter.

This stunning multiple star lies right at the center of the Orion Nebula M42. It's
the middle star of the Sword of the Hunter.
Its name, the Trapezium, is not stolen. Four gems twinkle in an attractive tiny area, recent products in the gas
and dust cloud. Lots of faint stars in the
surrounding area also are physically involved, all of them are highly young and unstable lights,
less than 100 000 years old.
The Trapezium was first sketched in 1656, and first photographed in 1880. Also try to spot the other doubles in
this region, like Theta 2, Iota and Struve 747.

Sigma Ori is rather a quadruple, but a moderately separated double of a
white primary and a blue fainter companion is the most conspicuous. Sigma Ori lies below the easternmost
star of the Belt of Orion, the same area where you can find the Horsehead Nebula.

This surprising marvelous triple of three fully equal light blue stars, was first noticed in 1781. Two stars are
closer in contact than the third one. It is located east of the most SE star of the Orion figure.

A triplet in a real triangle figure? This one is a great example. A yellowish
primary has two little bluish friends. This gorgeous trio lies east of the pentagon figure. Struve 928 lies just
north, and Struve 929 just south of it.

This pair is located in the upper region of this inconspicuous constellation, that
is rather at the NE of the bright Capella. A yellow main star has a blue fainter neighbour, relatively close to each
other.

It is the topmost star of the rather inconspicuous constellation, just between
the head of Leo and Pollux. His full name is Iota-1. It is a marvelous double, maybe the second well known. It
has a gorgeous golden star and greatly separated from it a not so much fainter blue companion.

It is the bottommost star of the arc forming the head of Leo. Thanks to its
brightness, it is the best kwown double of close yellow stars. Gamma Leonis also has the name Algieba. The main star
is more yellowish than its fairly fainter attendant. This pair was first split in 1782.

Xi Uma is the double at the very bottom of the Ursa Major constellation, that is
rather north of Leo, forming with Nu Uma two conspicuous stars. It is a very close orange pair of two bright stars.
The companion is slightly fainter. The two suns orbit each other in only 60 years, while the separation moves from
1.6 to 3.0 arcseconds. In 1828, it was the first calculated orbit for a visual pair, seen in 1780.

Two almost equal yellow stars are widely separated. This double lies in the
topmost region of the faint constellation of the Giraffe, that is nearly close to Polaris. But the other fine
double 32 Cam is even closer.

Like Struve 1625, this double lies in the topmost region of the Giraffe,
close to Polaris. Surprisingly, it is the only numbered star in that top region. The binary contains a yellowish
main star and an almost equally bright bluish secondary, widely split.

The only bright star of the inconspicuous constellation. Alpha CVn has a
famous name, Cor Caroli. Next to the bright light yellow star lies considerably separated an orange-like companion,
much fainter.

The famous Alcor and Mizar, the naked eye double star. Mizar itself is
a gorgeous pair of two equal white stars. In the 13th century it was already a naked eye test. And it was a test to
become an archer for Karel V. The name Mizar comes from a 'belt', and Alcor from a 'black horse'. In an ancient myth,
Alcor was the lost seventh lady of the Pleiades, staying with her lover. Mizar is the first seen binary, the first
photographed binary, and the first spectroscopic binary. Also the third star in the same field has a name, Sidus
Lodoviciana.

This is a real triangle figure. A subtle yellowish main star has a faint pink-like
companion, and a bit closer an other fainter purple-like companion. This marvelous triple lies W of the two
bright bottom stars of the Little Bear.

Kappa forms with Iota and Theta a triplet in the uppermost region of the
constellation, that is just E of the last tail star of the Great Bear. Iota is also a fine double.
Kappa has a bright white primary and a considerably fainter blue
secondary. It is an easy double thanks to the fairly wide separation.

Iota forms with Kappa and Theta a triplet in the uppermost region of the
constellation, that is just E of the last tail star of the Great Bear. Kappa is also a fine double.
Iota is a very wide pair, containing a bright yellow star and a fairly fainter blue attendant.

A deep yellow main star and a light yellow secondary are almost in contact.
The companion is only a slightly fainter. This attractive yellow binary lies in the topmost area of the constellation, rather E of the last tail star
of the Great Bear.

Pi 1 and Pi 2 are two stars just north of the rectangle pattern of the Little Bear.
Pi 1 contains a yellow star and an almost equal white secondary. They orbit each other in only
one and a half century. The separation is easily wide.

Delta is the star just south of the little triangle forming the snake's head.
It has a yellow primary and considerably close to it a yellow secondary, almost equal in brightness. Also look
for the double Otto Struve 300 at its NE.

Don't worry about the low declination of the Scorpion, because the constellation
borders officially track a small region north of the Antares area, and this pair lies just in it. The primary
itself is a yellow pair, but too close. The fainter third component
is bluish and fairly far from it. Directly at its south lies the other fine double Struve 1999.

Kappa Her is a star SW of the most SW star of the hourglass pattern of
Hercules, even with the other fine double Gamma Her between them. It contains a bright yellow main star and a not much fainter dull yellow companion. The separation is
considerably wide.

Gamma Her is the naked eye star just SW of the SW most star of the hourglass
pattern of Hercules. A tiny yellow component lies highly wide from a bright yellow primary. Also the pair Kappa Her
lies at its SW.

This extremely wide pair lies east of the dragon's head, even with the other
nice double Mu Dra between them. One of them itself is
a very close double of two almost equally bright stars. So it's a pretty nice trio, all of them are white.

Alpha Her is the bottommost bright star of Hercules, nearly touching the star
pattern of Ophiuchus. The orange primary itself is a variable star jumping from magnitude 3.1 to 3.9 in only
3 months. The moderately fainter blue component has a greenish tint. The separation is pretty close.

In the same area of this double stands a bright orange variable star VW Dra.
The double is a classic yellow-blue pair, the component being much fainter and fairly wide split. It is located
north of the dragon's head.

A yellow-like primary and a slightly fainter blue-like secondary are easily
split thanks to the wide gap. This star lies in the area of the huge naked eye star cluster of Melotte 186, that is
close to the most NE star of the house shape of Ophiuchus. Also the fine pair 70 Oph lies in this area.

A nearly orange bright star has a tiny red point considerably wide next to it.
In fact the companion is a very close little duo of two red dwarfs. Mu Her is the bright star E of the hourglass
pattern of Hercules towards Lyra.

A bright yellow star has a moderately fainter deep orange attendant. The
separation is widening in a time of 35 years. Like the other double 61 Oph, it lies in the area of the huge
naked eye star cluster of Melotte 186, that is close to the most NE star of the house shape of Ophiuchus.

An obvious pair in this area. It has two equally bright stars, a
yellowish-white and a bluish-white, moderately split. The double lies SE of that other interesting double Mu Her,
that is E of the hourglass pattern of Hercules.

The amazing Eps 1 + Eps 2 lies just NE of the bright Vega. It has the famous
name 'the double-double'. There is a 3.5 arcminutes gap between the two stars, but each star is a close double
of two white stars nearly in contact, of almost equal brightness, but with different position angles. There is
also another less known and funny 'double-double', in
the same constellation, see Struve 2470 and 2474.

Beta Lyr is the star W of the Ring Nebula. At least you find a little pink-like
companion very wide from the yellow-like
primary. There are also other tiny stars in the field, but maybe not physical involved. Beta itself is a variable
star climbing
from magnitude 3.4 to 4.4 in a shift of only 13 days. Gamma Lyr with magnitude 3.2, the star E of M57, is a good
comparison.

This is an attractive double with 2 orange stars, almost touching each other.
The companion is only a bit fainter. The primary is deeply orange. The double lies completely NW in the constellation, that is SW of the
most NW naked eye star of Aquila.

This pair has an orange primary and moderately close to it a little gray
companion. The pair is located in the most SE corner of the constellation, that is rather close to the most
NW naked eye star of Aquila.

This pair contains a bright yellow primary and a much fainter blue attendant,
but easily spotted thanks to the moderately wide separation. It is located just SW of the most NW naked eye
star of Aquila. Also the nice double Struve 2426 lies at its SE.

This pretty double consists of a nearly reddish primary and a fairly fainter
dull yellow companion. The separation is moderately wide. It lies just SE of that other fine double 11 Aql, that
is close to the most NW naked eye star of Aquila.

An almost yellowish primary stands with a fairly wide gap next to a
little bluish component. Together with the other fine doubles Struve 2457 and 2455, it is found NW of the open
star cluster of the Coathanger.

It is located directly north of the most SW naked eye star of Aquila towards
Scutum. The main star is a bright deep yellow one, while the component has an almost orange tint. The space
between them is obviously wide. The component is not that fainter.

This little double lies far W of the main triple star pattern of Aquila, that
is rather at the end of the tail of Serpens. A yellow primary stands with a slightly fainter blue friend,
noticeably close to it.

A white primary with a yellowish tint, has a slightly fainter blue star at its
side, considerably close. Together with the other fine doubles Struve 2457 and 2445, it is found NW of the open
star cluster of the Coathanger.

An almost yellowish primary glitters with a not much fainter blue sun,
moderately close to it. Together with the other fine doubles Struve 2455 and 2445, it is found NW of
the open star cluster of the Coathanger.

Together with the double Struve 2474, it is called the 'Other Double Double'
in the same constellation of Lyra, just E of the parallelogram. However, this double-double shows all different colors, and the position
angles are the same. Struve 2470, the northern one, consists of a white primary and a fainter blue companion,
easily separated.

Together with the double Struve 2470, it is called the 'Other Double Double'
in the same constellation of Lyra, just E of the parallelogram. However, this double-double shows all different colors, and the position
angles are the same. Struve 2474, the southern one, consists of a yellow primary and a fainter dull yellow
companion, easily separated.

Maybe it is the most spotted double star. It is an extraordinary splendid
and easy double with two different and marvelous colors. The source of his name is rather doubtful, but it could
mean 'of the rainbow'. The double was first seen in the 17th century. After 5 million years, the brightest star
of the heaven will be ... Albireo.

This splendid pair is an extremely wide double with two marvelous colors in
an attractive area. The bright main star has without doubt a deep orange color, while the much fainter attendant shows
a purple tint. It lies just south of the feather of the Arrow.

It is an obviously wide double with a yellowish tint for the primary
and a bluish tint for the slightly fainter secondary. This pair lies in the southern portion of Aquila, deep and
straight under the brightest Altair.

It is a nice little double in the rich milky way field along the line from
Deneb to Albireo, just above the middle star Eta. It reveals an orange color for the primary and a purple color
for the companion, highly fainter but fairly well separated.

This bright pair, the secondary is only one magnitude fainter, is the nose of
the Dolphin. It is a stunning double with a fairly close gap. The rather blue companion shines with a subtle
greenish tint.
The primary appears dirty yellow. Directly to its south lies another fine double Struve 2725.

In the little constellation SE of the Dolphin, lies a binary with two fairly
bright stars, yellow and blue colored. The component stands not so far from his main partner, and is only a bit
fainter. There are three other doubles in the small Colt, Gamma and Struve 2786 and 2793.

In the little constellation SE of the Dolphin, stands a marvelous pair of
two fully equal yellow stars, very tight to each other. There are three other doubles in the small Colt,
Epsilon and Struve 2786 and 2793.

A clearly yellow primary has a moderately fainter bluish companion next to it,
but almost mathed. The double stands in the region of the well known globular M2, that is south of Eps Peg, the
star SW of the Square.

This double is a gorgeous pair of an orange primary with a reddish
companion, only a slightly fainter. The two stars are obviously very wide separated, but are embedded in a splendid
twinkling field of
tiny milky way stars. They are 11 light years away, so not very far from us. It stands SE of the bright Deneb.

A primary with a yellow tint and a secondary with a blue tint, are almost
touching each other. The companion is a moderately fainter one. The nice pair Struve 2793 lies directly E of it.
The little constellation SE of the Dolphin, shows two other doubles, Epsilon and Gamma.

This pair is easily split, containing a yellow main star and a fainter bluish
sun. The fine pair Struve 2786 lies directly W of it.
The little constellation SE of the Dolphin, shows two other doubles, Epsilon and Gamma.

A fantastic triple lies in the star cluster and nebula (difficult visually)
of IC 1396 just under the house shape, that is also in the region of the red 'Garnet Star' Mu Cep.
The brightest star has a yellowish tint, the two little ones are equally bright.

It is a considerably wide double with an nearly orange primary and a moderately
fainter companion with a subtle greenish tint. This beautiful colored pair lies north of Epsilon Peg, the star with
the globular M15 to its NW.

It is located right in the middle of the square of the house pattern.
A bright deep yellow main star shows a considerably fainter light yellow attendant next to it, easily split. This
pair belongs to the real field of the Hyades stars.

A purple point waits next to the very bright deep yellow main star, obviously
wide separated. Delta is the easternmost star in the SE corner of the house shape. It is the prototype of the
Cepheid variables, discovered in 1784 by Goodriche, died at the very young age of 21. Delta jumps from 3.4 to
4.3 in only 5 days.

This attractive double has beautiful colors, a light orange primary and a
considerably fainter dark reddish secondary, moderately split. This pair lies NE of the brightest Alpha Ari, or
SE of the Triangle.

This fine double is located south of the big square of Pegasus, in the westernmost
circular asterism of the Fishes. It consists of a clearly orange main star and a two magnitudes fainter
purple-like companion, moderately separated.

Noticeably, there are 8 stars E of the pentagon shape of Auriga, labeled from
Psi 1 to Psi 8. The fifth one is a remarkable highly wide double of an obviously yellow primary and a much
fainter light blue companion.

This relatively wide double consists of a deep yellow primary and a moderately
fainter light purple attendant. The position of the double is directly SE of the gorgeous double cluster Chi and h
Persei.

A traditional yellow and blue double containing a not much fainter companion and
holding a moderately wide gap between the twins. It stays completely south in the constellation, it is rather sitting just north
of the head of Hydra.

An orangish primary has a little but obvious purple point next to it, fairly
well split. The pair is spotted E of Delta Gem, the area where you also find the Eskimo Nebula and another
fine double Struve 1083.

This pair has two contrasting colors, a deep yellow primary and a moderately
fainter dark bluish green companion, considerably close. The double is located directly W of the Eskimo Nebula,
also another fine double Struve 1108 lies at its north.

In the N edge of the nice open cluster M35 twinkles a lovely wide double
containing an orangish primary and a fainter light purple secondary. The pair lies at the end of a prominent
curved chain of tiny stars.